The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) launched the Fraternity Campaign 2026 on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with the theme “Fraternity and Housing” and the motto “He came to dwell among us” (Jn 1:14). The initiative aims to discuss Brazil's housing crisis, emphasizing the right to dignified housing as an expression of human dignity. Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to Brazilian faithful, calling for reflections on the lack of housing and inspiring public policies for improvements.
The Fraternity Campaign is an annual initiative of the Catholic Church in Brazil, created in the Archdiocese of Natal in 1962 and adopted nationally in 1964. Traditionally launched before Lent, a period of prayer, fasting, and reflection in the Christian calendar, the campaign aims to raise awareness among the faithful and society about social issues and mobilize actions to reduce inequalities. In 2025, the focus was “Fraternity and Integral Ecology”.
This 2026 edition was presented at the CNBB headquarters in Brasília, where the executive secretary of campaigns, Father Jean Poul, read Pope Leo XIV's message. The letter, written on February 11 and published on February 18 by the Vatican, highlights the over-60-year tradition of the campaign as an expression of Catholic faith, particularly in commitment to the poor, “the true recipients of our preferential love”.
The pontiff quotes St. John Paul II, who in 1988 described the lack of housing as a sign of economic, social, and cultural insufficiencies. Leo XIV hopes that reflection on the “harsh reality of the lack of dignified housing” will lead to constant acts of charity and sharing, as well as inspire government authorities to promote public policies for improvements in housing conditions for the needy population.
In the letter, he states: “I also desire, dear brothers and sisters, that the initiatives arising from the Fraternity Campaign may inspire government authorities to promote public policies so that, working together, it may be possible to offer the most needy population significant improvements in housing conditions”.
The campaign invites the Church and society to reflect on housing as a fundamental right, calling for pastoral and charitable actions directed toward the homeless.
